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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/22738030">Tapestry and love</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/TFALokiwriter/pseuds/TFALokiwriter'>TFALokiwriter</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Star Trek: Picard, Star Trek: The Next Generation</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Canon Compliant, Dialogue Heavy, M/M, Post-Episode: s01e02 The End Is The Beginning, Post-Episode: s06e15 Tapestry, Tapestry day, The Power Of Love</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-02-15</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-02-15</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-04-28 18:28:26</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>General Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>1,636</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/22738030</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/TFALokiwriter/pseuds/TFALokiwriter</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>Two Q's try to unravel Jean-Luc Picard's tapestry.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Jean-Luc Picard/Q</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>2</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>33</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>Tapestry and love</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>"I am bored."</p><p>"Me too."</p><p>"How about we try to unravel the tapestry of the mortal captain that Q likes so much?"</p><p>"Why not?"</p><p>"I will get it in a flick." Q flung their hand back.</p><p>In a flash appeared the end of the long carpet.</p><p>"Ah, there it is!"</p><p>"A little extravagant."</p><p>"A little too fancy." Q squinted at the carpet then lifted it up. "Isn't it supposed to be. . . uh, dusty, deteriorating, and well used?"</p><p>"But fondly lasting in a manner of speaking. Yes."</p><p>"Let's get down to business, Q."</p><p>The Q's went down to work unraveling the tapestry and as each thread unwound leaving a pile behind them; the pile grew. It grew and grew behind them. They paid little attention to their surroundings set in the Q continuum that was represented by trees.</p><p>Trees that stood for the health and the connection to every Q there ever was with roots that laid underground standing for the connection that they each shared with the other. And the Q, in their true forms, were going away unraveling it with their appendages that were long and quite thin to play with things as they wished. </p><p>"Hello, fellow and powerful bored Q's."</p><p>The Q's groaned.</p><p>"Q."</p><p>It was <em>that</em> Q.</p><p>"Oh by the Q Continuum."</p><p>The Q who walked around in the continuum in the form of a tall human with broad shoulders, large hands, delicate human body that was---in Q essence --- really powerful and immune from natural disasters or illness to it save from Q or M intervention, complete in one of Starfleet's newer command uniforms and a comn badge.</p><p>His hair had grayed instead of remaining dark as though representing the passage of time from a lower life form. He walked around as a human instead of his natural form and it was infuriating. Even though, as everyone knew in the beginning, he was mocking the aging of humans and how being taller made them feel intimidated. Eventually, it stopped being amusing and became perplexing why he kept walking around in the continuum this way on a daily basis after several years.</p><p>Some speculated that he was being a rebel.</p><p>Some speculated it stood for how he sympathized for the mortal need to be different.</p><p>In all, no one knew really why.</p><p>"What are you doing?" Q asked, tilting his head, looking upon the unraveling carpet.</p><p>"Unraveling a quilt." Was the reply.</p><p>"Oh moi tapestry?" Q replied, placing his hand on his chest. "How touching of you to pay attention to my tapestry! It is flattering."</p><p>"No,"</p><p>And they went on unraveling paying no attention to him.</p><p>"It looks like mine." Q replied.</p><p>The Q's sighed, annoyed.</p><p>"That isn't your tapestry."</p><p>"If you want to be that way and think that," Q said. "I can't change the minds of two draft dodgers."</p><p>"We have no interest participating in silly wars."</p><p>"How long have you been doing this?" Q gestured a finger at the carpet. "This unraveling scheme."</p><p>"Twenty mortal years."</p><p>"Oh then----when was this?" Q grew concerned. "Before or after Data left?"</p><p>"After."</p><p>"I should pay a visit to my dear old amiral flame." Q smiled, fondly, looking back rubbing his chin. Then, Q shook his head, momentarily closing his eyes then grinned looking on. "No, hmmmn, we are set to meet again at the end of the year. So I will see him then after he faces a untimely but fitting demise from rescuing Soji Soong and Commander Data Soong. Given his determination to right a wrong that is likely the scenario in which I will be able to deliver my judgement to his face."</p><p>"Why call a neuron a Soong? And Commander Data doesn't have a last name."</p><p>"There is a mortal convention of attaching a last name to offspring with the name of the creator." Q replied. "It gives them a connection, however very little, a name to stand proud or ashamed of but a name to prove they are better or worse than. It's a thing called family." He glared at the Q's. "One that Junior and Q have tried to introduce to you but you have refused to embrace this tiny but powerful thing called <em>love</em>."</p><p>"Why is love so important?"</p><p>The other Q looked on in horror toward their companion; <em>oh no</em>.</p><p>"Because it is the one thing that changes a difficult situation without Q power." Q explained.</p><p>The other Q looked back and forth between their companion to Q.</p><p>"Yes, but why? Why are you so for it?"</p><p>Q folded his arms.</p><p>"It makes people fight, die, live, and survive, Q." Q replied.</p><p>The other Q was silent watching as their companion was talking their way into a trap.</p><p>"Against what you throw at them?"</p><p>Q nodded.</p><p>"In spite of everything that has been thrown their way; they defy the odds and win!" Q boasted. "That's the one part that used to puzzle me before I met Picard."</p><p>"That is very silly." replied the talkative Q. "Love can't be capable of all. If it were, we wouldn't have lost so many from the civil war."</p><p>"You don't know the meaning of love in its core or feel it as mortals do." Q replied. "It's something that pops up not often in their lives and when they do; they fight to keep it. We have connections to each other; they don't."</p><p>"There are some populations that are telepathic." Replied the talkative Q. "And they don't fight for each other."</p><p>"Once you have them in your head twenty-four-seven and don't have walls between you and them to give some space then there is room for hate." Q reminded. "Just like us. Those kind of telepathic populations didn't last. There are many telepathic populations that have thrived and fought for the other at the idea of not having them around and not being able to sense them. Those selective some that you mention don't speak for all telepathic populations, Q."</p><p>"But, why do mortals use it as a rallying cry?"</p><p>"Because it's caring for others well being. We fought for love of free will." Q reminded. "Shame that . . . most of us didn't and still don't have the love that mortals share for others."</p><p>He looked aside then back toward the talkative Q as the silent Q watched the disaster continue to unfold.</p><p>"It's the motivation that binds every particle, atom, muscle, tissue, water, and meat in that walking bag together and live however grossly or barbaric. It's the thing that stirs a little lizard from a den and turns it into a komodo dragon against the impossible. It's the most awe powerful thing than we are! And it's beautiful to watch grow or fall apart."</p><p>"Go away, Q."</p><p>"Surely, you must have better things to do, Q." the silent Q pipped up.</p><p>"Playing with various timelines of the Enterprise D crew and the captain gets tiring after awhile." Q shook his hand rolling a eye.</p><p>"Q, how about you try the reality where they are all holograms and they think they are invincible?" The silent Q continued on. "Judge them, if you will." Q rubbed his chin. "See if artificial versions of them are worthy of continuing to exist and so is their entire universe."</p><p>Q  began to mull it over looking aside at the prospect.</p><p>"It's your favorite thing." Q was reminded. "In this reality, they are explorers, representatives, of civilizations that can't leave their planet because they are afraid of the dark. Of losing their own so they send programs out based on certain officers who process the data retrieved after each week that is beamed back to the mortals. The holograms think they are better than them!"</p><p>Q's head bobbed up raising a brow as his attention was caught.</p><p>"Ooohh, do they now?"</p><p>"They do." The silent Q of a few words said.</p><p>Q raised his hand then started to snap his fingers.</p><p>"That should take care of my boredom for a year while waiting for Picard to arrive."</p><p>In a white flash, he was gone.</p><p>"Good grief, thought he was never going to get away."</p><p>The silent Q looked looked on toward what was ahead.</p><p>"Uh, Q."</p><p>"Yes?" Q looked on toward their companion.</p><p>"Are you sure that this is his mortal play toy's tapestry?"</p><p>"Yes." Q nodded.</p><p>"Look ahead."</p><p>"What the---" Q's entire being raised.</p><p>"It is never ending."</p><p>"Tell me this isn't about love." Q said.</p><p>Q's tendrils recoiled then relaxed as the other Q grew horrified by the silence.</p><p>"Given that he carries the word where-ever he goes and speaks it by name, there is a very good chance that we missed the opportunity to change his mind about the fate that awaits Jean-Luc Picard."</p><p>"A eternity with Q?" Q asked. "He will be insufferable! Now, he will drag him wherever he goes even to Q continuum official functions! And this time, this time, the continuum won't be able to pry him off unlike Junior once he came of age and maturity."</p><p>"That is the judgement that awaits him. " Q of a few words replied. "How would humanity and love last through a Eternity?"</p><p>"Grief!" Q replied. "Let's stitch this old tapestry back together."</p><p>The Q's proceeded to stitch it back together.</p><p>"I can't believe that he is having fun messing with holograms."</p><p>"Believe it. He is so easily distracted."</p><p>"But, nothing can distract him for long from the person that he loves the most than lady Q."</p><p>"Jean-Luc Picard. Why does Q 'love' him so much?"</p><p>"I guess we will never know why."</p><p>They resumed the stitching, silently, diligently.</p><p>"I'm still bored."</p><p>"Me too."</p>
<hr/><p>
  <em> <span class="st">"Well, now that you've shuffled off the mortal coil, we're free to spend a little time together."<br/>
</span> </em>
</p><p>
  <em> <span class="st"> "A little time together?" Picard asked. "</span> <span class="st">How much?"</span> </em>
</p><p>
  <span class="st"><em>"</em><em>Eternity</em>."</span>
</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>amiral (muscline version) admiral</p><p>I was torn between using capitaine and amiral but given that Q would still acknowledge him by a rank that he technically still holds since he carries the values of the old Starfleet where ever he goes that had to be amiral. </p><p>In some ways, Q will probably be telling how he judges the spirit of Starfleet that has truly survived the last twenty years imo. And since he is the judge of Picard, he will be of course a little biased because he loves him. </p><p>We'll know in the last episode if this is any true in Star Trek: Picard that is bound to be a bookend with Q's physical appearance whether or not he would still call Picard; capitaine, amiral, Picard, or JL, or Jean-Luc.</p><p> Opening with the Enterprise D in the heaven's and the cards with Q then ending with Q in the courtroom in heaven of some sort.</p><p>removed 'as he grew shorter (as most humans did)' as I am not entirely sure if De Lancie is still tall or not.</p></blockquote></div></div>
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